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Russian security forces carried out a new round of raids across occupied Ukrainian territories in early October, targeting residents who have refused to obtain Russian passports, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 22, as Moscow continues a long-running campaign of forced passportization.
The raids were conducted jointly by Russian police and the Federal Security Service (FSB) during the first 10 days of October as part of an operation dubbed "Illegal-2026," according to HUR.
Ukrainians without Russian passports are classified by occupation authorities as "foreign citizens" and subjected to Russian migration law, HUR said.
According to the agency, residents can face pressure to obtain Russian citizenship, expulsion from occupied territory, dismissal from work, and property seizure.
In occupied Luhansk Oblast, Russian authorities have also checked documents held by minors as part of the campaign, HUR said. Parents whose children do not obtain Russian passports have allegedly been threatened with fines, imprisonment, and the loss of parental rights.
HUR described the operation as another tool in Russia's broader effort to pressure Ukrainians into accepting Russian citizenship and push those who refuse out of occupied territory.
Russia has pressured residents of occupied Ukrainian territories to take Russian passports since 2014, tying access to employment, social services, property rights, and other aspects of daily life to possession of Russian documents.
Russian occupation authorities already carried out earlier phases of the "Illegal-2026" operation. In June, occupation officials said more than 300 administrative cases had been opened and more than 40 people expelled during a 10-day phase of the campaign.